Various ventilation systems exist to provide cooling for building structures such as homes. The typical ventilation system generally replaces the interior air in a particular and defined space to provide high indoor air quality. This may be accomplished by controlling the temperature, replenishing oxygen, and/or removing moisture, odors, smoke, heat, dust, airborne bacteria and carbon dioxide. These ventilation systems are also generally used to remove unpleasant smells and excessive moisture, introduce outside air, maintain air circulation within an interior of a building, and prevent stagnation of the interior air.
In general, ventilation systems vary in design and may be as simple as a single, standalone air conditioner to a complex heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to a whole house fan ventilation system. An air conditioning window unit, for example, may be installed in an opening, such as a window, of a building. The air conditioner window unit usually includes a fan that blows the interior air over the evaporator and generally includes a second fan for drawing heat from the interior out to the environment. Several of these window air conditioner units may be added to each room of a home to provide cooling for each separate room.
Ventilation systems may also include complex HVAC systems such as central air conditioning units, which are generally used to offer whole-house or large-commercial-space cooling. Central air conditioning also typically offers moderate multi-zone temperature control capabilities, as they allow cool air to circulate through a system of supply and return ducts. The supply ducts (i.e., openings in the walls, floors, or ceilings covered by grills) preferably carry cooled air from the air conditioner to the home. This cooled air becomes warmer as it circulates through the home and then preferably flows back to the central air conditioner through return ducts and registers.
Unfortunately, much of these ventilation systems generally expend a significant amount of energy. For instance, in a typical home or dwelling, air conditioning typically utilizes more electricity than any other appliance in the home and may expend as much as 16% of the total electricity used in that home. This is especially noticeable in warmer regions, as the use of air conditioners may comprise 60-70% of a homeowner's electricity bill.
Additionally, adding a new ventilation system such as a cooling unit to a home may require that the homeowner create physical modifications to his or her home. For instance, some indoor cooling units generally require that the homeowner install one or more mounting plates for holding and securing the cooling unit. The mounting plate is fastened against the wall via screws, and the cooling unit is attached to the wall via the mounting plate. This may also require that the homeowner fabricate additional holes in the wall to accommodate the electrical wiring and piping for the cooling unit.
Furthermore, many cooling systems such as air conditioners emanate loud noise, which can be a nuisance to some homeowners. This is especially noticeable when the air compressors of the air conditioning units are damaged, thereby resulting with humming, clanking, and buzzing noises.
Therefore, based on the foregoing, there is a need for a new and improved air ventilation system that is simple, quiet, energy efficient, and easy to install without requiring physical modifications to the home or building structure.